Photo credit: kkinjo on Flickr

It’s the time of year again when I want to crawl out from under my thick sweaters and sneakers, toss on some flip flops, and lay on a blanket in the sun all day long. Job? What job?

This early spring (seriously–it started in January) has me excited for some events and plans we have scheduled through the start of summer.

I just said the S word. Can you believe it?!

Let’s not jump the gun. In many ways, I prefer spring to summer. For starters, often summer is too hot to enjoy. I’m not one of the fortunate ones who own a pool or a bank account with enough in it to buy a pool. Sigh. Maybe someday.

For now, though, instead of fantastizing about my dream house (which obviously would include a heated, inground pool), I’ll daydream about our spring bucket/to do list:

This month, Jax will attend his second ice hockey game. I can already hear his little chants in my head: “Let’s Go, Flyers!”

Other big events this spring include our first family road trip in April, which will be to Washington, DC. In particular, we are taking Jax to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. My kid is obsessed with space shuttles and all things that fly, my husband loves museums, and I love getting away, so this trip sounds like a win-win-win. Our weekend is smack in the middle of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, so I expect it to be gorgeous there.

Another big event for us is the Italian Market Festival in Philadelphia. The festival spans 2 days in May. There, we eat as many Italian delicacies as we can and pretend we’re Italian, not Irish, for a day or two. An ex-friend introduced us to the festival 5 or 6 years ago, and it has been our tradition ever since. Gelato? Yes, please. Red wine while I walk along a street lined with artists? Sure! Cannolis and fresh mozzarella and pasta and sambuca? Why not!

Then, in June, we will watch our good friends get married. So excited for this, because they’re the kind of people you just know will have a really fun wedding. I’ve even already lined up a sleepover at my mom’s for Jax. I’ve missed a few weddings over the years due to lack of a sitter or Jax having a meltdown or whatever the case may have been. No chance in hell I’m missing this one.

Not-so-big (yet-also-really-fun) events include:

Playdates! Lots and lots of them. Just not at Barnes & Noble on a Tuesday night.

Renewing our zoo membership so we can spend warm days visiting our favorite animals (goats for Jax; orangutans for me).

More girls’ nights out! Ok, so this one is for me, not really for the family. Unless you consider my going out and having fun–and releasing stress–as a positive thing for everyone, which it truly is.

Baseball is back! Note to self: Must score some Phillies tickets ASAP.

Making good use of the jogging stroller. So far, we’re off to a good start, now that the flat has been fixed. Jax and I have spent evenings outside every night this week and have used the jogging stroller nearly every night. Last night, when I wasn’t feeling like a run, I took Jax on a spontaneous trip to a big park a town over. I threw him in the car at 6:30, not even knowing where we were going. I headed in a direction and we ended up at that park. Jax collected rocks for 45 minutes, and then we went home. Easy, yet fun.

What are your spring plans?